Andre Gorobec
| image = File:Andre Gorobec 001.jpg | imagewidth = 225px | known aliases = None | category = | gender = | base of operations = Moldavia | known relatives = None | year of birth = Unknown | year of death = Unrecorded | first appearance = Black Sunday (1960) | played by = John Richardson }} Biography Andre Gorobec was a medical student born sometime in the late 1700s. As a young man, he spent three years studying under the tutelage of Professor Thomas Kruvajan. Around the year 1830, Gorobec and Kruvajan were passing through a town in Moldavia on their way to a conference in Mirgorod. During the journey, the axle on their coach broke and they had to stop to affect repairs. While the coachman worked on the axle, Andre and Thomas explored the nearby ruins of an old chapel. The chapel was located on land owned by the Vajda family, whose castle was located only a short distance away. Entering the crypt, they came upon the tomb of Princess Asa Vajda, an 18th century witch who had been sentenced to execution and buried wearing the Mask of Satan. Though Kruvajan was deeply interested in learning more about Asa Vajda, Andre was ill at ease with the crypt and went back outside to help the coachman. A few moments later he heard a gunshot and ran back inside to see what had happened. He found that Kruvajan had been attacked by a giant bat and tried to kill it with his pistol. In his efforts to kill the bat, he accidentally knocked over a crucifix which had been positioned on top of the coffin. The crucifix shattered a glass window above Asa Vajda's face and Andre and he were now able to get a good look at her. Thomas removed the Mask of Satan and they were amazed to find the princess' remains perfectly preserved. What Andre had yet to realize at this time though, was that Kruvajan had cut himself on the glass and his blood spilled down into the casket. Leaving the chapel, they came upon princess Katia Vajda, daughter of the current prince of the Vajda estate. Andre was instantly smitten by her beauty and detached sadness. That evening, Andre and Thomas rented a room at the local inn where Andre consumed copious amounts of vodka, growing extremely inebriated as the night wore on. Kruvajan encouraged Andre to go outside to get some air. When he returned to the inn however, Kruvajan was gone. The following morning, Andre tried to locate the professor, but with no success. The innkeeper told him that the Professor's services were required at Vajda castle. Andre borrowed a horse and rode to the estate where he met Katia as well as her brother, Constantine Vajda. Constantine was in a state of great agitation and told Andre that they had called upon the professor's aid to look after the prince who had fallen suddenly ill. However, the professor disappeared in the middle of the night and the prince died shortly thereafter. Andre could not believe that his mentor would abandon a patient during such a time of need and went off in search of him. When he finally came upon the professor, he found him to be a markedly different man than the one he knew before. His hair was white and his complexion was of a sickly pallor. Kruvajan spoke to Andre in measured tones, warning him to stay away from the castle and not to interfere with things he could not possibly understand. .]] Soon after, the family discovered that their personal coachman, Boris, had been murdered. His body was discovered by a group of children on the banks of the river. Gorobec went to the sacristy where Boris' body was being kept. He consulted with a local priest who showed him the bizarre wounds upon Boris' face. They were the same as those found on the body of the late prince. Andre gave the priest a triptych he had recovered from Professor Kruvajan's coat pocket. The triptych had originally come from the tomb of Asa Vajda, and Andre hoped that the inscription might hold a clue as to the bizarre deaths taking place in the village. The priest promised that he would attempt to translate the inscription. On the day of the prince's funeral, Andre returned to Castle Vajda to console Princess Katia. He found her in a state of great sorrow and despair and he tried to offer her words of encouragement. It was at this time that he realized he was falling in love with her. That evening, Andre was alerted to something taking place in the castle salon. The family servant Ivan had discovered a hidden passageway behind the fireplace. Andre and Constantine explored the passageway and found that it led down into the crypt of Princess Asa. Sending Constantine back to the main house, Andre went to consult with the priest. He determined that the Asa Vajda was somehow still alive and had used her power to resurrect her former lover Igor Javutich to do her bidding. He also discovered that Asa intended on taking possession of Katia Vajda as part of a grandiose revenge plot against the Vajda family. On their way to the castle, Andre and the priest passed the chapel churchyard where they found a shallow grave. Digging through it, they discovered the undead body of Professor Kruvajan. The priest confirmed that Kruvajan was now a servant of the devil and, using the knowledge he gleaned from the triptych, pierced the unmoving man's left eye with a coffin nail, killing him. He told Andre that this method was the only way he would be able to stop Asa Vajda and her undead servants. Andre returned to the castle where he came upon Igor Javutich. The two fought with one another in the secret passageway and with the help of Constantine Vajda, he was able to defeat Javutich. Constantine, dying from wounds he sustained at the hands of Javutich, made Andre swear to protect Katia. Gorobec searched the castle, but could find no trace of the princess. He eventually returned to the crypt of Asa Vajda and found her standing next to the body. When he looked down at Asa's body however, he saw Princess Katia's cross about her throat. He then realized that this was a ruse and that Asa had taken Katia's place. A group of angry villagers stormed the crypt and dragged Asa Vajda to execute her. After Asa died, Katia Vajda revived and Andre and she were able to be together. Black Sunday (1960) Notes & Trivia The events leading up to Andre's encounter with Katia Vajda take place in the early 19th century. The exact year is never given, but on the DVD audio commentary for Black Sunday, film historian Tim Lucas posits that these events take place around the year 1830. References ----